Elizabeth Bentley
| death_place = Norwich, England, UK | occupation = Poet | nationality = British | period = 1791–1821 | subject = Pastoral, Abolitionism, Animal welfare }} Elizabeth Bentley (1767-1839) was an English poet. Life Bentley was born in Norwich, to Elizabeth (Lawrence) and Daniel Bentley. The latter, a journeyman cordwainer who had himself received a good education, educated Elizabeth, his only child. The family faced financial difficulties after he had a stroke in 1777 and was unable to work at his usual trade. He died in 1783, when his daughter was 16. Two years later, Bentley reported a new-found desire to write poetry "which she had no thought or desire of being seen."Donna Landry, “Bentley, Elizabeth (bap. 1767, died 1839).” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (edited by H.C.G. Matthew and Brian Harrison (Oxford: OUP, 2004). Web, 12 April 2007. Her first collection, Genuine Poetical Compositions (1791), had an impressive 1,935 subscribers, including literary notables Elizabeth Carter, Elizabeth Montagu, William Cowper, and Hester Chapone. As a labouring-class poet, Bentley — "content to be the last and lowest of the tuneful train"Genuine Poetical Compositions, lines 30–32. — adopted a humble stance towards her readers and let it be known that the venture was intended to establish an annuity for her and her mother. Both her collections contained portraits of the author and accounts of her life; the account written in 1790 and published in the first volume is the source of most that is known of her. After the publication of her first volume, Bentley kept a small boarding school and did not publish much — some poems for children; an ode on the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) — for three decades. This hiatus ended with the publication of her Poems in 1821. She died nine years later in an almshouse. Writing Her poetry celebrates the countryside and engages in public debates on topics such as abolitionism and cruelty to animals. William Cowper compared her favourably with Mary Leapor, a labouring-class poet of the previous generation, citing her "strong natural genius."Donna Landry, “Bentley, Elizabeth (bap. 1767, d. 1839).” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (edited by H.C.G. Matthew & Brian Harrison). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Web, 12 April 2007. Recognition Bentley received financial support from the Royal Literary Fund in 1799 and 1829.Elizabeth Bentley 1767-1839, Poetry Foundation. Web, July 5, 2013. Publications * Genuine Poetical Compositions, on Various Subjects. Norwich, UK: privately published, printed by Crouse & Stephenson, 1791. * An Ode on the Glorious Victory over the French and Spanish Fleets, on the 21st of October, 1805, and the Death of Lord Nelson. Norwich, UK: Stevenson & Matchett, 1805. * Poems: Being the genuine compositions of Elizabeth Bentley. Norwich, UK: privately published, 1821. * Tales in Verse for the Entertainment of Children. 1831.Elizabeth Bentley, Literary Norfolk, Norfolk Tourism. Web, July 5, 2013. * Miscellaneous Poems: Being the genuine compositions of Elizabeth Bentley of Norwich. (3 volumes), Norwich, UK: Matchett, Stevenson & Matchett, 1835. Volume 1, Volume II, Volume III Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results: au:Elizabeth Bentley, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, July 5, 2013. See also * List of British poets References * Blain, Virginia, et al., eds. "Bentley, Elizabeth." The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. New Haven and London: Yale UP, 1990. 85. * Landry, Donna. “Bentley, Elizabeth (bap. 1767, d. 1839).” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Ed. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford: OUP, 2004. 12 April 2007. Notes External links ;Poems * "Ode to Night" * Elizabeth Bentley 1767-1839 at the Poetry Foundation *Elizabeth Bentley at PoemHunter (3 poems) * Elizabeth Bentley (1767-1839) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 (profile & 11 poems) * Elizabeth Bentley at AllPoetry (128 poems) ;About *Elizabeth Bentley 1767-1839 at Norfolk Women in History. *Elizabeth Bentley at Literary Norfolk Category:English poets Category:English women writers Category:1767 births Category:1839 deaths Category:18th-century women writers Category:19th-century women writers Category:Women poets Category:People from Norwich Category:19th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Children's poets